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Exocarpos sparteus R.Br.

Species

Angiosperms > Santalales > Santalaceae > Exocarpos

Characteristics

An upright shrub. It grows partly attached to or growing on other plants. It grows to 3.5 m high. The stems are ribbed and usually without leaves except on the flowering branches. The flowers are very small and yellow or yellowish-green. Occasionally they are white. The fruit are small and egg-shaped. They are succulent and 2-3 mm across. One bush can have thousands of fruit. The fruit change from orange-red to deep crimson. The seed is external to the fruit. The fruit, and its stalk are edible.
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Shrub to 4 m high with weeping crown, yellowish green. Branchlets slender, often pendulous, striate. Leaves narrowly linear, triquetrous, uncinate, 2–10 mm long, often persistent for some time. Spikes to 16 mm long; peduncle 1–2 mm long. Receptacle very short. Tepals 5, 0.3–0.5 mm long. Fruiting receptacle depressed-spherical, c. 2 mm long, red or pink; drupe ellipsoidal-spherical, smooth, usually shining, 3–5 mm long; tepals persistent.
Life form perennial
Growth form shrub
Growth support parasite
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) -
Mature height (meter) 3.5
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) -
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
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Fruit color
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Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

It grows on sandstone areas over limestone. Plants will regenerate after fire. It grows in the Mallee in Australia.
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Found in many habitats including coastal and desert sand dunes and on plains. Mallee communities on sandy soils.
Grows in many habitats, including coastal and desert sand dunes and on plains.
Light -
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Hardiness (USDA) 8-12

Usage

Uses food medicinal
Edible flowers fruits seeds
Therapeutic use -
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Can be grown by cuttings or seedlings.
Mode cuttings seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
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Images

Exocarpos sparteus unspecified picture

Distribution

Exocarpos sparteus world distribution map, present in Australia

Conservation status

Exocarpos sparteus threat status: Least Concern

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:780209-1
WFO ID wfo-0000684429
COL ID 3DLNG
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Xylophyllos sparteus Exocarpos glandulaceus Exocarpos pendulus Exocarpos sparteus Exocarpos spicatus Exocarpos sparteus f. gracilis Exocarpos sparteus f. tenerior
WorldFloraDB 2024